Stitch a pretty pinny with feminine frills by a fashion designer

You’re sure to look the picture of domesticity in the kitchen this Christmas with this fancy apron made by Stuart Hillard. It’s stitched in a cheerful floral repeat designed by Kaffe Fassett, and features lovely pleated details and a useful front pocket. The contrast waistband is long enough to tie in a bow at the front to ensure it doesn’t slip off during crucial oven to table manoeuvring! 

Essentials

• Floral print fabric, 50cm x width
• Plain cotton, light pink, dark pink, grey, 50cm of each
Dimensions
48cm x 98cm (excluding ties) 

make an apron

1 Fold 50cm x width of printed cotton in half, selvedge to selvedge, and press lightly. Tie
a length of string to a pencil, then pin at the top of the folded fabric, with the fold on the left. Position the pencil at the bottom fold and mark a quarter circle. Cut on the line and open out to make a semi-circle. Do the same with light pink lining fabric.

2 Create a pocket in the same way as for the apron, using 20cm x 40cm each of floral print fabric and grey cotton for the lining. From

grey cotton, also cut three 10cm x width of fabric strips. Join two of them together for the apron frill and set aside.

3 Make the pocket frill by folding the remaining strip in half, wrong sides together, and press. With the right side of the pocket in front of you and starting at one edge, create 5cm pleats in the strip and pin

to the lower curved pocket edge, right sides facing. Trim of any excess length and tack the frill in place. Pin the outer pocket and lining right sides together, with the frill inside. Sew the curved lower edge using a 9mm seam allowance. Turn out and press. 

4 Cut a 5cm strip of bright pink cotton and use it to bind the pocket top. Sew with right sides facing to the lining side, then turn the

strip to the front and topstitch neatly in place, tucking the raw edges in at each end. Pin the pocket to the apron front, 8cm down from the top raw edge. Stitch in place by sewing 5mm either side of the frill and the pocket.

5 Fold the longer frill strip in half, wrong sides together, and press. Create pleats as before, 8cm apart. Pin, then tack to the

lower curved edge of the apron, right sides facing. Pin the apron front and lining right sides together with the frill inside. Sew the curved edge of the apron using a 9mm seam allowance. Leave the straight top edge open. Turn out and press. Topstitch the seam 9mm from the curved edge.

6 To make the waist tie, cut three 16cm x width of fabric strips from bright pink cotton. Join them together to make one

continuous piece. Press the seam allowances open. Fold the strip in half lengthways, right sides together, and sew down the long edge. Turn the strip out and centre the seam along the back. Press.

7 Turn the short raw edges of the strip in and press. Fold over the top raw edge of the apron by 2cm and press. Tack in place. Centre the waist tie onto the apron top edge, wrong side to right side. Make sure that the tacked top edge of the apron is 5mm down from the top of the waist tie. Pin then sew the waist band in place along the top edge. Remove the tacking, then topstitch all the way around the waist tie.